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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
informative
fast-paced
informative
fast-paced
This is a beautiful coffee table book on a diverse array of gender topics. I recommend it more for individuals completely new to gender issues, not so much those already familiar. I did learn a few new things however!
"Think about if everyone in your life began calling you by pronouns different from your gender. You'd feel pretty bad, wouldn't you?"
No, actually, I wouldn't because my self worth and identity isn't tied up in how others view me. Pronouns, believe it or not, aren't a slur.
But first, let me begin with what I liked about this book. I think I would have enjoyed it as a teenager (as an adult? not so much). I also quite liked the illustrations, the format, and the flow of this book. The colors were enticing and helped to mimic the text for better understanding.
My frustration with this book--and others of its ilk--is that it posits gender as this "made up" thing. That's all good and well. Except, of course, the fact that we have very real problems that aren't made up. And these very real problems--misogyny--is due to sex, not gender. But, apparently, sex isn't exactly real, either. So I guess it's up in the air as to why women--I mean, cis women--I mean, females--I mean, female-bodied people--I mean, people with uteruses--I mean, AFABs--I mean, I mean I mean. As though we didn't have perfectly fine words until men became famous for being gender nonconforming.
While this was a good primer, I found that it went into detail for topics somewhat related to the book's gist (eating disorders affect all genders) as opposed to going into detail for topics....about the book's gist (sex). Gottlieb states that, "Much like one's gender presentation, sex can shift over time," which is...a lie? Certainly you can change aspects of oneself (hormones, presentation, plastic surgeries), but medication still affects males and females differently. Seatbelts do a better job of protecting males over females. You can change parts of yourself, but you can't change your basic structure.
Which, furthermore, Gottlieb and Callendar posit male bodies as "normal". They say that there is no such thing as normal, that male privilege is unearned, that gender and sex are fluid and changing. But they use sentences like, "bodies that have uteruses for childbirth" (as though uteruses are only good for childbirth...but that's another conversation) for women/female-bodied people and do not treat men/male-bodied people the same way.
Additionally, they use terminology such as AMAB/AFAB which directly comes from intersex communities. For me, a "cis" woman, I was not assigned a sex. I was observed to have a sex. Not to mention that this didn't happen when I was born. Technology, believe it or not, can tell women whether they're having a boy or a girl (or male or female child) in the first and second trimesters. Saying someone is assigned a sex at birth is due to observation as well--doctors notice that a child has, perhaps, a smaller penis or a larger clitoris. Then, they "assign" a sex and perform surgery on this child. Similarly, this is another harrowing conversation separate to the point of this book, but it's worth mentioning that the trans community pilfered this terminology and in a way that is untruthful to its definition.
When they mention particular figures in history or contemporary society, they often times...just got it wrong, or wrote about them disingenuously. Take Marsha P. Johnson--Gottlieb and Callendar praise MPJ for being a trans icon...except that Marsha P. Johnson, or Malcolm, is a drag queen and stated on video that he is a man 10 days before his death. They mention Shakespeare's plays and tout it as humorous queer fun...except that it was just plain misogyny that women couldn't perform in plays and that's why men had to (though, to be fair, it IS humorous). They discuss Norma McCorvey/Jane Roe and how she flipped the script and became pro-life...except they fail to mention McCorvey's deathbed confession that she, a poor lesbian addict, was given more than $400,000 to "become" pro-life. Also, way to go for name-dropping JKR...who is clearly the enemy and not....oh, I don't know, the countless male politicians who are ACTUALLY making transphobic laws. Remember the rules of misogyny that permeate the air whenever misogynists talk about JKR:
1. Women are responsible for what men do.
3. Women speaking for themselves are exclusionary and selfish.
4. Women’s opinions are violence against men, thus male violence against women is justified.
12. Women’s ability to recognize male behavior patterns is misandry.
14. Women have all the rights they need: The right to remain silent.
Even more insidiously, they discuss sex work and argue that "sex work is work. It's a job like being a store clerk, an architect, or a freelance writer." Well, I'm a librarian, and let me tell you that sex work is NOT like being a librarian. I do not have to suffer rape. I do not need to cope using alcohol or drugs after work. I have the right to refuse my contract and quit. I am not forced to work with biohazardous material because THAT'S RIGHT medical professionals need to wear gloves and suit up when working with blood, semen, urine, and feces! I do not get PTSD or other mental illnesses or disorder just from my job. I do have to perform physical labor sometimes but when I'm tired I can take a break! I am not forced to have phallic objects shoved in me in my mouth in my vagina in my ass. I am not forced to make out with women or men or interact with animals.
Unless, of course, they were only talking about OnlyFans sex workers in which they have control except how many times have fathers, brothers, coworkers, and exes found their account and purchased a subscription, a violation of their privacy? Unless, of course, we're talking about escorts who have the ability to choose their clientele but if they report rape, well, it's a job, so really it wasn't rape at all--it was just stealing your services!
But, you know, not offering at least a 101 critical look at these topics is totally fine when you're gearing this to teens, I guess.
No, actually, I wouldn't because my self worth and identity isn't tied up in how others view me. Pronouns, believe it or not, aren't a slur.
But first, let me begin with what I liked about this book. I think I would have enjoyed it as a teenager (as an adult? not so much). I also quite liked the illustrations, the format, and the flow of this book. The colors were enticing and helped to mimic the text for better understanding.
My frustration with this book--and others of its ilk--is that it posits gender as this "made up" thing. That's all good and well. Except, of course, the fact that we have very real problems that aren't made up. And these very real problems--misogyny--is due to sex, not gender. But, apparently, sex isn't exactly real, either. So I guess it's up in the air as to why women--I mean, cis women--I mean, females--I mean, female-bodied people--I mean, people with uteruses--I mean, AFABs--I mean, I mean I mean. As though we didn't have perfectly fine words until men became famous for being gender nonconforming.
While this was a good primer, I found that it went into detail for topics somewhat related to the book's gist (eating disorders affect all genders) as opposed to going into detail for topics....about the book's gist (sex). Gottlieb states that, "Much like one's gender presentation, sex can shift over time," which is...a lie? Certainly you can change aspects of oneself (hormones, presentation, plastic surgeries), but medication still affects males and females differently. Seatbelts do a better job of protecting males over females. You can change parts of yourself, but you can't change your basic structure.
Which, furthermore, Gottlieb and Callendar posit male bodies as "normal". They say that there is no such thing as normal, that male privilege is unearned, that gender and sex are fluid and changing. But they use sentences like, "bodies that have uteruses for childbirth" (as though uteruses are only good for childbirth...but that's another conversation) for women/female-bodied people and do not treat men/male-bodied people the same way.
Additionally, they use terminology such as AMAB/AFAB which directly comes from intersex communities. For me, a "cis" woman, I was not assigned a sex. I was observed to have a sex. Not to mention that this didn't happen when I was born. Technology, believe it or not, can tell women whether they're having a boy or a girl (or male or female child) in the first and second trimesters. Saying someone is assigned a sex at birth is due to observation as well--doctors notice that a child has, perhaps, a smaller penis or a larger clitoris. Then, they "assign" a sex and perform surgery on this child. Similarly, this is another harrowing conversation separate to the point of this book, but it's worth mentioning that the trans community pilfered this terminology and in a way that is untruthful to its definition.
When they mention particular figures in history or contemporary society, they often times...just got it wrong, or wrote about them disingenuously. Take Marsha P. Johnson--Gottlieb and Callendar praise MPJ for being a trans icon...except that Marsha P. Johnson, or Malcolm, is a drag queen and stated on video that he is a man 10 days before his death. They mention Shakespeare's plays and tout it as humorous queer fun...except that it was just plain misogyny that women couldn't perform in plays and that's why men had to (though, to be fair, it IS humorous). They discuss Norma McCorvey/Jane Roe and how she flipped the script and became pro-life...except they fail to mention McCorvey's deathbed confession that she, a poor lesbian addict, was given more than $400,000 to "become" pro-life. Also, way to go for name-dropping JKR...who is clearly the enemy and not....oh, I don't know, the countless male politicians who are ACTUALLY making transphobic laws. Remember the rules of misogyny that permeate the air whenever misogynists talk about JKR:
1. Women are responsible for what men do.
3. Women speaking for themselves are exclusionary and selfish.
4. Women’s opinions are violence against men, thus male violence against women is justified.
12. Women’s ability to recognize male behavior patterns is misandry.
14. Women have all the rights they need: The right to remain silent.
Even more insidiously, they discuss sex work and argue that "sex work is work. It's a job like being a store clerk, an architect, or a freelance writer." Well, I'm a librarian, and let me tell you that sex work is NOT like being a librarian. I do not have to suffer rape. I do not need to cope using alcohol or drugs after work. I have the right to refuse my contract and quit. I am not forced to work with biohazardous material because THAT'S RIGHT medical professionals need to wear gloves and suit up when working with blood, semen, urine, and feces! I do not get PTSD or other mental illnesses or disorder just from my job. I do have to perform physical labor sometimes but when I'm tired I can take a break! I am not forced to have phallic objects shoved in me in my mouth in my vagina in my ass. I am not forced to make out with women or men or interact with animals.
Unless, of course, they were only talking about OnlyFans sex workers in which they have control except how many times have fathers, brothers, coworkers, and exes found their account and purchased a subscription, a violation of their privacy? Unless, of course, we're talking about escorts who have the ability to choose their clientele but if they report rape, well, it's a job, so really it wasn't rape at all--it was just stealing your services!
But, you know, not offering at least a 101 critical look at these topics is totally fine when you're gearing this to teens, I guess.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Out of all of the books offered on Library Thing the month this was on the list, I hoped I would receive it. It is so full of information and it's helpful. It doesn't preach, it dispenses. And it's not just LGBTQ+, it discusses gender roles, femininity and masculinity, equality vs equity, 1800s clothing, Coco Chanel, Freida Kahlo, slugs, cuttlefish, lions...this is not to make light of the book by any stretch of the imagination. No, all of this and more makes the reading more comprehensible for lack of a better term. Excellent illustrations, a good flow between each chapter.
Messages are throughout that it's okay to make mistakes but don't be mean. Do's and Don't's.
I liked this book a lot and i can definitely recommend it.
It is going on my keeper shelf.
Messages are throughout that it's okay to make mistakes but don't be mean. Do's and Don't's.
I liked this book a lot and i can definitely recommend it.
It is going on my keeper shelf.
informative
fast-paced
It’s just okay. For anyone who knows some amount about gender, race, feminism, etc., it is unlikely the book will contain much of note to you. If, however, you have had little education in such areas, perhaps this would be a simple and easily digestible way to remedy that.
Excellent in every way. Well illustrated and informative!
This book is absolutely beautiful, something I would so want in my home. It's full of information, and while I would probably have rearranged the topics in this book, and I feel it assumes the reader agrees with the author (I do, fully), I think it's a pretty good introduction to some issues surrounding gender. An absolutely beautiful primer to gender and gender issues.